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The Wakanda One Village Project: African Union Ambassador Promotes Diaspora Homecomings

Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao knows that the world has long mistreated and neglected Africans – particularly the African woman. “We are the original people and we have every reason to stand up in the tallest mountains to proclaim who we are,” the ambassador says unapologetically.NNPA NEWSWIRE —

Published

5 years ago

January 8, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

As she entered her office in Northwest Washington, D.C., African Union (AU) Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, struck observers as an image of grace. With the colors of her beloved Africa draped around her neck, her purple dress perfectly exuded royalty — though likely not intended.

The Ambassador’s words are unchoreographed, seasoned with salt and a charm that clearly communicates that she should never be thought of as someone whose opinions are easily swayed.

Far from it.

Dr. Chihombori-Quao knows that the world has long mistreated and neglected Africans – particularly the African woman. “We are the original people and we have every reason to stand up in the tallest mountains to proclaim who we are,” the ambassador says unapologetically.

“We are beautiful, intelligent, sophisticated, highly adaptable and totally indestructible people – the Africans,” she said. “Any other race that would have gone through what we’ve been subjected to would have been extinct and that’s the truth,” she said, never having to raise her voice because the conviction in which she speaks is loud and unmistakably clear.

“Also, as black women, we are the only ones who could reproduce ourselves,” the Ambassador said in a room that contained a few men and just one other woman.

The men in the room, which included this reporter, could only agree.

“We could mate with anyone and produce a black child,” she said.

“Normally, that’s what you see with dominant species. It’s a fact they may not like to hear, but ours is the dominate gene. That’s why I say when I speak people may get offended, but I come from a place of truth and fact.”

The place that Dr. Chihombori-Quao “comes from” has many in the diaspora excited about the future – a future that could finally see Africa return to its former glory.

Married to the highly-respected physician Dr. Nii Saban Quao, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao grew up in a small village in Chivhu, Zimbabwe.

She completed her undergraduate education at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., and later matriculated at Meharry Medical College where she earned degrees in general chemistry, a master’s degree in organic chemistry and a Doctor of Medicine.

After practicing medicine for 25 years, she’s actively been involved in numerous AU programs and projects and served as chair of the African Union-Diaspora Health Initiative, where she helped mobilize health professionals in the diaspora to assist in addressing the health care needs of the African continent.

Since accepting the AU Ambassador position, Her Excellency has earned praise as a leader whose brought renewed energy and new ideas to the AU Mission.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, H.E. Dr. Chihombori-Quao also received an achievement award from the late civil rights champion Nelson Mandela.

“How do you transition from being a medical doctor to a diplomat? It took me about six months to finally process it and eventually say, well maybe this is something I can do,” she said.

“It’s a man’s world and I didn’t know if I could deal with that, but after much back and forth, I had a conversation with the chair of the African Union and she told me that she felt a medical doctor would make a good diplomat.”

The former Chairperson of the African Union Commission for the continent, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, is also a medical doctor.

H.E. Dr. Chihombori-Quao continued:

“It might surprise you that quite often patients come to you and need help, but they may not be truthful. They may say they have a headache, but the real problem is an abusive husband. A belly ache might be… mental.

“You try to reach out and find out what’s going on at home and in their life. I can honestly say I find myself in many situations where being an experienced doctor comes through in this job.”

Still, among the defining circumstances that led to Her Excellency accepting the Ambassador’s position is her love of Africa and her desire to turn things around on the continent. “It became increasingly apparent how we feel as Africans doesn’t matter. We are disrespected and we really needed a voice,” she said.

“That’s what this mission is all about – being a voice for all Africans on the continent. Once I realized that, I decided I would stay on the job. I needed to be here.”

Surprisingly, the Ambassador said she’s received virtually no push back. “It’s easy for us as our point of view as Africans is that we are in the right. We are coming from the point of righteousness. There’s no other way to slice it; it is what it is,” she said.

H.E. Dr. Chihombori-Quao is among those leading the push to undo what occurred at the Berlin Conference 134 years ago when the various European powers salaciously explored, divided, conquered and exploited the entire African continent.

Known as “The Scramble for Africa,” thirteen European countries and the United States met in Berlin and made rules that divided Africa in 53 separate nations.

“They were haphazardly going into Africa to grab whatever they could … [they said] let’s organize so we could effectively loot them,” H.E. Dr. Chihombori-Quao said. “That strategy is still in place, unabated with nobody challenging it. It’s just accepted,” she said.

Her Excellency said Africans must stop accepting crumbs off the table and get a seat at the top of the table itself.

Although it’s estimated that $50 billion leaves Africa each year because of corruption, Dr. Chihombori-Quao notes that France still extracts a colonial tax of $500 billion annually from francophone African countries.

“If we talk corruption, we need to talk about it from A to Z. Let’s talk about all of this,” she said. “The former colonizers are still very active in Africa. You can look at Britain, France, Spain, Belgium, Germany… they are still very present in Africa, yet we don’t talk about it.”

However, if this Ambassador has her way – and there’s little doubt that she can succeed – things will change.

A major part of that change is a new “Wakanda” project launched by Her Excellency that’s expected to raise $5 billion in development funding over the next year or so. “The Wakanda One Village Project,” will be funded by Africans throughout the diaspora who will be its sole owners.

It will consist of five African Centers of Excellence in each of the five regions of the continent, which will serve as nerve centers for development delivering state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, hotels, industrial homes, shopping centers and other amenities.

“We are going to build the Africa that we want so those [throughout the diaspora] who say I cannot go home because home is not what I am used to will make it what they want,” Dr. Chihombori-Quao said.

PART II in this series will cover the Wakanda One Village Project.

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

1 month ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

1 month ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.